Several days later-

Asher, Sonia, and Nidawei sent three clones to the Coalfell train station, dressed in steampunk-style clothes they tailored themselves. However, they hid their Ascended features, instead appearing as handsome and beautiful but regular humans.

While it was inevitable with Coalfell, they didn't want to attract too much attention in the large town they were going to, Stonebury. It was a more central town compared to Coalfell, with about 20,000 residents, yet not large enough to be a city. And it also featured a lvl 100 Construction Material dungeon, which included stone, limestone, basalt, sandstone, etc.

Yes, a whole dungeon dedicated to Construction Materials. In this world, all materials are renewable and disappear after they are destroyed, whether they are harvested outside or within a dungeon. Not only that, but the amount of resources and monsters produced within is limited. This makes all dungeons valuable assets that nations fight over.

Arriving at the train station, the trio booked a private cabin and came to the retro-futuristic steam train. It was a normal Victorian-era train, save for some high-fantasy add-ons, such as magical ruins that made it lighter and tougher, and it emitted blue, eco-friendly smoke instead of black smoke.

While the cargo area of the train was being filled with Magic Coal, the trio entered and waited in their cabin. Soon, the train started, and after ordering some tea and coffee, they looked outside the window and saw the landscape.

It was mostly farmland, cropland, cattle-grazing meadows, and villages, but there were also forests and a river.

Finally, after several stops in several smaller dungeon towns, the trio arrived at their destination. After a simple customs check, they entered the street and saw Stonebury.

True to its name, Stonebury features Victorian-style stone, brick, and cement structures. It was also markedly more advanced than Coalfell, with visible pipes, valve clusters, and even street lights.

The streets were paved, and they saw horse carriages and even cars. However, most people just walked, and they were predominantly from the lower class. Only those in the middle and upper classes could afford a horse carriage or a car.

Near the entrance of the train station, they saw a few street food stands, as well as a rabbit-eared newspaper boy giving his sales pitch.

"Extra! Extra! The Harvester strikes again! The Whitelily succession wars are intensifying! The Kingdom of Strandga has threatened to declare war over the ownership of Cottonridge! Read here in the Stonebury Daily for a single penny!"

Asher curiously walked over, bought three newspapers, and handed two to the ladies before the trio slowly looked at the newspapers.

"Hah. A serial killer who murders and extracts organs from the victims? And from young prostitutes at that? It reminds me of Jack the Ripper." Asher mused.

"Let the sick fucker come to me. I would make him eat his heart out." Sonia maliciously smiled.

"But since he is not caught so far, he is likely using some form of disguise. Perhaps he is a humanoid monster." Nidawei pointed out.

"Perhaps." Asher nodded.

"Hey, the Whitelily succession thing is getting worse. Apparently, the old head, a peak Hard Difficulty powerhouse, is reaching the end of his lifespan and plans to challenge the Hard Difficulty Trial soon. All the potential successors are now vying for power and are at odds with one another. Some murders even happened, even kidnapping the corpses to prevent resurrection." Sonia said. 

"Kate will probably ask for help soon." Nidawei figured.

"I guess we could spare a few clones to help her," Asher commented.

"Should we care about the Cottonridge thing? It is a town close to this one." Sonia pointed out.

"Meh, who cares. Not our problem." Asher shrugged.

"Then let's first find a house to rent, and then go read everything in the library," Nidawei replied.

"There is an advertisement about it at the end. They have a large and furnished house for rent for 160 pounds." Sonia pointed out.

Asher and Nidawei looked over.

"Looks good to me," Nidawei said.

"Okay, we will go to the address. Let's take a horse carriage." Asher said.

The other two nodded, hailed a horse carriage, and had him drive to the location.

Along the way, the trio passed by a Church of Cog. It was a building full of metal pipes and clockwork, and a Priest of Cog, who was partially augmented with magical machine parts, preached outside about the glory of the Machine God. In a dark twist, two fish-eyed servitors, who were lobotomised and heavily augmented, were distributing religious pamphlets.

"That's NOT how to get people to join your religion." Nidawei pursed her lips.

"That reminds me. We should send some clones to study the Steam and Cog church skills." Sonia said.

"I wonder if we could get some self-augmenting skills if we let our clones do it." Asher mused.

"Eh... We should cut our pain sensitivity when we do it." Sonia warily said.

"Agreed," Nidawei nodded.

The clone trio quickly arrived at the local Whitelily trading firm, where they met the branch manager, a muscular and honest-looking man in his 20s named Andrew. He was apparently Kate's older brother and fellow competitor, and was also at the Hard Difficulty, being a level 80 Warrior, Rogue, and Gunslinger.

However, after using Reality Perception to scan him, the trio's expressions became subtle, but they didn't speak out.

Instead, they quickly finalized the deal and were about to leave when Andrew spoke to them.

"By the way, are you attending tonight's auction we are hosting? Some special goods are being presented there... including a Nightmare Challenger slave!"

That made the trio curious.

"A Nightmare Challenger slave, you say?" Asher raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, honored gentleman. She apparently completed her Hard Difficulty Trial with exceedingly poor results, which forced her to randomize her origins. As it turned out, he was born to a slave woman, making him also a slave. Due to being a Nightmare Challenger, he was unsuited for most types of dangerous work, and the owner only allowed him to do some housework, but not fight monsters. As a result, he is still a lvl 1 despite being 18. However, he is still a rarity! You might even raise a fabled Demigod powerhouse if you have the means!" Andrew beamed.

Of course, the trio didn't think Andrew believed his own words. But this did give them an idea.

"Alright, we will attend." Asher lightly said.

"Excellent! Here is an invitation." Andrew presented them with a card.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the trio left with a salesman who introduced the house and gave them the keys before leaving.

While inside, the trio looked at one another.

"That Andrew guy was dirty as hell." Asher spat.

"Yeah. He had over 10 hidden Criminal Titles. Including for masterminding Kidnapping, Murder, Extortion, Blackmail, and Child Trafficking. In most worlds, that is enough to get the death sentence." Sonia said with disgust.

"You missed the part about hiring bandits. He was probably the guy who targeted Kate. Or one of them." Nidawei pointed out. 

While Criminal Titles wouldn't show unless they were discovered and made public with evidence, the trio could directly pierce the veil and see who they were dealing with.

"Well, it doesn't matter. If he crosses us, we will deal with him." Asher shrugged.

"So, library?" Sonia asked.

"Yes. But first, we need some stand-ins." Nidawei said.

The two women looked at Asher, and he conjured a portal before them, connected to the house in Coalfell. Three new clones exited the portal, greeting them.

"We will stay here and grind some skills. You three go to the library." The other Asher clone said.

The original clones nodded and headed to the library. The subscription fee was slightly more expensive compared to Coalfell, but there were a dozen times as many books. The trio couldn't stop grinning.

"Now we are talking." Sonia smiled.

"There would inevitably be several copies of the same book. And we likely read some of them." Nidawei pointed out.

"It is fine. Once we finish here, we can head to a large city. The academy should have many books. Also, we can visit the local Magic Guild here." Asher said.

And so, the clone trio read new books and accumulated knowledge until sunset. They then ate at a restaurant before heading to the auction.

The auction was small and exclusive to the wealthy, with only 100 bidders. And everyone wore a masquerade mask. Asher, Sonia, and Nidawei also wore masks, but mostly for the fun of it.

A fat auctioneer with a fast tongue got on stage as two lovely assistants brought auction items.

The auction items varied. They included Real Estate, Beautiful Artistry, Fine Craftsmanship, Stat-Increasing Items, Equipment, etc.

Eventually, there was the slave segment. Only individuals on Hard Difficulty were eligible to be auctioned here, men and women aged 10-20, all lvl 1.

Where a normal lvl 1 slave fetched 100 pounds, these slaves fetched at least 300 pounds at lvl 1, up to 1,000 if they were born with good classes or trained desirable skills. This was due to their higher potential. However, they also required more investment compared to normal slaves, and they suffered higher penalties for dying, which prevented their prices from skyrocketing. After all, they were a risky investment.

After 3 slaves were auctioned, it was time for the final piece.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for waiting! May I present to you our best piece for the night... a young Nightmare Challenger!"

"Ohhh!!!"

Clap* Clap* Clap* Clap* Clap*

The audience was fired up, enthusiastically clapping their hands.

Asher, Sonia, and Nidawei finally paid attention. However, what they saw with Reality Perception made them disappointed.

It was a young and unassuming man who appeared like any regular laborer and had an honest look. However, through Reality Perception, the trio deduced the man's very personality and loyalty tendencies.

They didn't mind raising someone who had some ambition, but this man was a straight-up murderous and thankless bastard who only thought about himself, a total narcissist and psychopath!

"Tsk... A dud." Sonia clicked her tongue.

"The one who buys him and invests in him would be unfortunate." Nidawei shook her head.

"He said Best Piece, but not the final piece. Let's wait and see if there is anything else." Asher patiently said, but he didn't have high expectations.

Soon, the auction began.

"The starting bid is 1,000! Each increment is 100 pounds! Let the bidding begin!"

"1,100!"

"1,200!"

"..."

"2,400!"

Finally, the guy was sold for a whopping 2,400 pounds. But the trio could only lament the misfortune of the wealthy man who bought him.

And then, the auctioneer spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We have a surprise item up for auction, and we hope you will speculate on its worth with us!"

The audience began murmuring, and the trio patiently waited. Finally, they saw a trembling small black fox in a metal cage, brought over by the female staff.

The audience murmured, frowning as the auctioneer continued speaking.

"Hunters captured this fox three days ago and sold it to us. Luckily, they didn't shoot and pelt the little one, for she isn't a regular fox... but an Otherworlder Hell Challenger!"

This caused everyone to gasp, and even Asher, Sonia, and Nidawei raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, she is an otherworlder. However, she is incapable of speech and is incredibly weak, likely arriving here in the last month or even a few weeks. We don't know anything about her except that her name is Honami, she is 18 years old, and her race is a Fox Demon. But she did prove to be as intelligent as any human. Unfortunately, she can't speak. But since she is technically not human, she has no rights, and you can do whatever you want with her."

The auctioneer paused, looked at the mixed reactions, and then continued speaking.

"Due to her uncertain nature, we will start the auction at the price of a regular lvl 1 slave, at 100 pounds. The minimum increment is 10, but there is no upper increment. Start the bidding! —"

"150! I want her as a pet!" A young woman grinned.

"200! She is worth studying." A gentleman in his mid-30s said.

"250! I can turn her into a stuffed animal." A man in his 60s said with an evil look.

"That's horrible! 260!" The young woman frowned and said.

The trio knew that the man was doing this to increase the sale price through provocation.

It was then that a Cog Priest raised his metal hand.

"300. She would serve the Machine God well after enough treatments." The priest said in a machine-like voice.

After this, no one raised the price. The fox in the cage trembled all over, looking at the Cog Priest in dread.

"First call, 300! Second call-"

"400." A lazy male voice sounded.

Everyone looked over and saw a young and handsome man, flanked by two equally beautiful women, speaking.

Asher didn't give any reasoning, nor did he need to. No one bid after he did, as the fox was just not worth that much.

"400 once... 400 twice... Sold at 400 to that gentleman over there!"